Some might say that it's difficult to believe that Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God and "The Beauty of the World" were created by the same person, Jonathan Edwards. On the surface, this appears to be true. In the former, Edwards speaks mostly of the imminent damnation of unconverted Christians and of God's abhorrence towards them; "…he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes as the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours." Meanwhile, in the latter, Edwards marvels at the incredible harmony and balance found within the natural world, going so far as to say, "…[life's beauty] brings a pleasure that, when we come to the trial, we had rather live in much pain and misery than lose." These excerpts do have vastly different tones, but does that necessitate contradiction?…show more content… Jonathan Edwards is so passionate about assisting God in converting some of his congregation due to his valuation of living and its virtues: “To see so many others feasting while you are pining and perishing! To see so many rejoicing and singing for joy of heart, while you have case to mourn for sorrow of heart and howl for vexation of spirit!” He laments that the damned will never take part in a heavenly beauty even greater than that of this mortal world, the same world that he claims to have an “infinite number” of beauties, and he cannot understand this avoidable fate being met with
